Scientific evidence shows that environmental risks are responsible for a major share of cardiovascular disease, which is the most common cause of death in Europe. A European Environment Agency analysis, published today, provides an overview of the link between environment and cardiovascular disease, highlighting that addressing pollution, extreme temperatures, and other environmental risks are cost-effective actions to reduce the burden of disease, including heart attacks and strokes.
The EEA assessment ‘Beating cardiovascular disease— the role of Europe’s environment’ gives an overview of the evidence on the environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease in Europe and the corresponding EU policy responses. The analysis shows that reducing exposure to pollution and mitigating and adapting to climate change, as well as fighting energy poverty, can significantly reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and resulting deaths in Europe.
Recent studies indicate that at least 18% of all cardiovascular disease deaths in Europe are estimated to be due to key environmental factors, including exposure to air pollution, extreme temperatures, second-hand smoke and lead. The EEA analysis notes, however, that this figure is likely an underestimate as it does not take into account workplace exposure, noise pollution or toxic chemicals other than lead. Moreover, some factors, such as night-time light pollution or the combined effect of exposure to different chemicals, are still poorly understood.
The EEA analysis highlights that environmental risks are preventable but individual citizens have limited possibilities for protecting themselves. This means that laws and regulations, including those set by the EU, and their effective implementation are needed to reduce the environmental burden of disease for all citizens. Despite some uncertainties and gaps in data, scientific evidence solidly supports reducing environmental exposure as a cost-effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease, the EEA analysis concludes.
The EEA assessment on environment and cardiovascular disease is part of the Agency’s work supporting the implementation and monitoring of the EU zero pollution action plan, which is one of the key initiatives under the European Green Deal.
“The overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has markedly deteriorated against the backdrop of continuously worsening socio-economic conditions, aggravated by sanctions and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy human rights chief, presenting the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The report focuses on developments since the onset of nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini on 16 September last year. Three days after she fell into a coma and died in police custody, following her arrest by Iran’s so-called Morality Police.
Hundreds put to death
The report notes with serious concern the high number of death penalty sentences and executions during the reporting period.
“In 2022, 582 people were executed”, noted the Deputy High Commissioner of UN human rights office OHCHR.
“That is a 75 per cent increase compared to 2021 during which 333 people were reportedly executed. There were three children among those executed in 2022. Of the total number of executions, 256 were for drug-related offences.”
According to Ms. Al-Nashif, this marks the highest rate of drug-related executions in the country since 2017.
At least 44 children killed
The total detained for taking part in the protests is estimated at around 20,000, the report said.
Thousands of children are estimated to have been among those arrested during the protests, while at least 44 children, including 10 girls, were reportedly killed by security forces using lethal force.
The highest number of deaths was reported in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, where at least 10 children were killed.
“There have been numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment of individuals by security forces during arrest and interrogation to extract forced confessions as well as allegations of sexual and gender-based violence committed against women, men and children, especially in detention,” said Ms. Al-Nashif.
“Prison conditions including denial of medical care, dire sanitary conditions, contaminated drinking water and overcrowding, remain of concern.”
Rights diminishing
Since the onset of protests, respect for the right to freedom has significantly deteriorated, the Human Rights Council heard.
State policy was also found to have become more stringent in enforcing mandatory veiling and imposing harsher penalties on women and girls who fail to respect the ruling.
AI tracks veil offenders
“On 15 August 2022, the President signed a decree which includes the introduction of face-recognition technology to track and punish unveiled women or those who actively question compulsory veiling”, said the deputy UN rights chief.
“At the legislative level, new draft provisions to the Penal Code are being considered in parliament to expand the scope of offences for non-compliance, allowing imprisonment, flogging and other punishments.”
The report also noted Iran’s failure to protect the physical and mental well-being of female students and attacks on their right to education.
Suspected poisonings
“As of 2 March of this year more than 1,000 students, the majority of whom are girls, had reportedly been affected by suspected poisoning in 91 schools in 20 provinces. The authorities provided conflicting accounts of these incidents,” noted Ms. Al-Nashif.
Ali Bahreini, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN in Geneva, rejected the report outright as inaccurate.
What are the substances that the organization believes should be banned
Some may scoff at the environmentalists People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but in recent years they have succeeded in enforcing a number of their rules.
Clothing and accessories made of animal skin with hair are now considered unacceptable kitsch in the fashion world and have long been replaced by synthetic materials. Now, however, PETA wants to expand the list of materials it doesn’t want the textile industry to work with.
Animal skin, wool, silk – all materials that the organization believes should be banned.
Since 2020, the face of this part of PETA’s campaigns is the actress Alicia Silverstone. To complement her message, Silverstone is pictured wearing a pair of cowboy boots that are made entirely from a vegan alternative to animal skin.
According to the information on the PETA website, the rejection of animal fur has a double impact – it saves animals and protects the environment, because animal fur requires more processing and consumption of water and electricity for its processing. Vegan leather, on the other hand, is far more economical.
Currently, vegan leather alternatives are produced from cacti, various types of mushrooms and even from apple peels.
There are also polyurethane options and a variety of plastic sources. Vegan leather is already being used by a number of “fast fashion” brands, but more elite designer brands still refuse to completely replace natural leather with artificial leather.
The problem is that vegan leather can’t match natural leather in terms of durability.
According to experts cited by Vogue, genuine leather items last between 2 and 5 years with moderate use and good maintenance. In some cases, the life of these goods can reach 10 years or more if the leather is of superior quality and is carefully cared for and cleaned.
Vegan leather is thinner and, accordingly, less durable. It wears out more easily, scratches and damage are more visible and the average life of such a product does not exceed 2-3 years.
Therefore, it is not surprising that expensive fashion brands want their logos on genuine leather. But what about PETA’s campaigns against wool and silk?
The organization begins its campaign against the wool with a clip that supposedly aims to show how violently the sheep are sheared. Along with the footage of the sheep shearing, PETA also captured several British reality stars and influencers reacting strongly to what they saw.
Some are outraged, others start to cry, with one of the Love Island reality contestants saying she thought they were “just shearing the sheep”.
Conservationists are convinced that animals suffer harassment and insurmountable stress during their shearing, and therefore it is best to give up wool products en masse. At first glance, this sounds easier than going completely vegan leather, because wool has quality alternatives.
Wool can be replaced by linen, cotton, bamboo, lyocell, and some fully synthetic fabrics that, when woven fine enough, resemble wool.
However, with their “Save the Sheep” appeal, PETA misses the fact that sheep must be sheared at a certain period of time, otherwise they begin to suffer.
The long and unmaintained fleece begins to cause the sheep itches, skin irritations, weighs them down and prevents them from moving freely. Unshorn fleece can also be a favorable environment for ticks, fleas and lice, and proper shearing should definitely not cause pain to the animal.
For painless fleece removal, there are a number of positions that farmers should learn in which the sheep do not feel any pain.
As for the video that PETA is distributing, it is from 2014 and is from Australia. It shows enraged farmers kicking and punching sheep and then shearing them literally to the point of blood.
The Ministry of Agriculture reacted immediately and declared the footage an isolated case and unjustified cruelty to animals, which should not be encouraged under any circumstances.
Last but not least, the nature protection organization also wants a ban on the use of natural silk and declares it incompatible with a vegan lifestyle.
Silk is obtained after boiling the silkworms in a period in which they have formed a sufficient amount of threads around their body. On their website, PETA explains that bugs are actually sentient creatures capable of experiencing stress, pain, and suffering, and therefore boiling them is barbaric.
Natural silk can be replaced with nylon fabrics, polyester and synthetic satin.
And in this case, the organization will probably hit a snag with designer brands, because none of the alternatives to silk have its qualities. Artificial fabrics crumple much more easily, tear more easily and, last but not least, steam the skin.
As for the suffering of silkworms – so far there are not many studies that conclusively show that insects can really have feelings like fear and grief.
Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group told delegates he had just returned from the war-torn country, noting civilians’ “extraordinary determination to adapt, to recover and to rebuild.”
“The UN had developed a clear picture to inform a targeted recovery through a Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment developed with our partners”, he said.
He added that the UN continues efforts to provide assistance to all of those in need, including in areas currently under Russian control where humanitarian access is extremely limited.
Farming and environment
To chart a way forward, Mr. Steiner said the UN and partners were developing a damage assessment with a focus on agriculture and the environment.
He said that in 2023, the UN scaled up its recovery efforts, implementing $1 billion of recovery and development programming in line with the Government’s priorities, driven by 24 different UN offices and more than 3,700 personnel.
Mr. Steiner highlighted that the UN’s pledge to stay and deliver in Ukraine is characterized by community-level recovery – jointly planning, sequencing, and layering our humanitarian, development, and support for social cohesion.
Rescue workers killed and injured
The World Food Programme’s (WFP) senior humanitarian official on the ground, Matthew Hollingworth, has condemned an attack on Kherson on Tuesday that killed and injured rescue workers from Ukraine’s emergency services.
He said the incident was yet another example of the human impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reminding the country of its obligations to protect civilians, including rescue workers, under international humanitarian law.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday that agencies were continuing “to work non-stop” to help those impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, assisting the “remarkable work” of volunteers and government responders.
“Two weeks since the disaster, UN agencies and humanitarian partners organized 12 inter-agency convoys, including two by boat and amphibious trucks, delivering 50 truckloads of vital supplies to help people in the Kherson Region and those living in the Dnipro Region”, aid Mr. Dujarric.
Access to drinking water continues to be extremely limited due to the disaster.
“Overall, and across all affected areas, the UN – along with our partners – delivered more than two million litres of water, 130,000 ready-to-eat food rations, hygiene items, medical supplies, shelter kits, sleeping bags, blankets and other essential items.”
‘Marshall plan’ approach needed to stop landmines wrecking economy
Another by-product of Russia’s invasion is the scourge of landmines planted by invaders during their occupation of the country since February last year.
Tens of thousands will need to be cleared to put the country’s economy back on track and enable food to be grown for the rest of the world, said UNDP on Wednesday.
The UN agency has been mandated by Ukraine’s Government to address the economic impact of mine contamination “in years, not decades”, UNDP’s Paul Heslop, who leads mine action in the country, told reporters in Geneva.
He told reporters in Geneva that a “Marshall Plan-type approach” to mine clearance was needed, so that agricultural land can be returned to use as quickly as possible.
The plan devised by the Truman Administration in 1947 helped restore the economic infrastructure of post-World War Two Europe.
“I think it is very realistic for us to say to the international community, make the commitment over the next five years, and we will see Ukraine retake its place as an agricultural powerhouse, and that will affect the world”, said Mr. Heslop. “It will bring down food prices for everybody.”
UNDP believes that with “the right resources and the right commitment”, the world can help Ukraine remove 75 per cent of the economic impact of mine contamination by 2028, Mr. Heslop said.
He stressed this will require harnessing innovation like satellite imagery and drones alongside traditional demining techniques.
More investment in training and equipment will also be needed and new lending arrangements so farmers can clear land.
UN Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva was briefing the Security Council on the dire situation facing the country and the international aid effort, with UN women workers among those now prevented by Taliban edicts from working.
“We will not put our national staff in danger and therefore we are asking them not to report to the office” she said, adding that the UN Assistance Mission she also heads, UNAMA, has no intention of replacing them with male staff.
No assurances
She said the Taliban had given her no explanation for the ban, “and no assurances that it will be lifted.”
She said she had been “blunt” with the all-male leadership about the obstacles their decrees and restrictions on women in public life were creating, which include denying schooling beyond primary level, bans on visiting parks, gyms and playing a role in public life in general.
She has conveyed that while they persist with the human rights clamp down on women and girls, “it is nearly impossible that their government will be recognized”.
Half the population suffering
She said based on UNAMA’s engagement with civil society around the country: “it is also clear that these decrees are highly unpopular among the Afghan population. They cost the Taliban both domestic and international legitimacy while inflicting suffering on half of their population and damaging the economy.”
The UNAMA chief called on ambassadors and the international community to do more to ensure the future stability of the Afghan economy, especially in light of an expected decline in humanitarian funding this year.
The spotlight on women’s rights has also obscured some “more positive achievements” of Taliban rule, she said, mentioning the growing evidence of an effective ban on opium poppy cultivation.
Stable economy
The economy too “remains stable” with inflation down and exchange rates steady – due in part to a reduction in high level corruption.
“This macroeconomic stability, however, coexists with severe household poverty” with 58 per cent struggling to satisfy basic needs, according to the World Bank.
On other areas of concern, the UNAMA head said despite concerted counter-terrorism efforts, the terrorist group ISIL-KP continued to target both Taliban official and civilians.
Although the Taliban takeover has led to a sharp fall in civilian casualties, she said the UN Mine Action Service was reporting there continue to be around 100 casualties per month from unexploded ordinance.
In conclusion, she told the Council that UNAMA and the UN system in Afghanistan would continue to engage with the Taliban, building on “established reliable working channels”.
“We could do much more however, if the Taliban rescinded its punishing restrictions on its female population.”
Fanning the flames
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the co-founder of Afghan girls’ education non-profit SOLA, told ambassadors she had lived through the darkness of Taliban rule in the 1990s and the secret schools she attended, are back.
“I am the inheritor of the bravery of Afghan women and men too, who kindled fires in the darkness of our nation as the world’s attention drifted away. Those fires are burning even now. The secret schools have reopened in Kabul and the provinces. My school SOLA, forced into exile, is thriving in Rwanda”.
She said a record 2,000 applications had been received from Afghan communities spread across the world. “2,000 fires in the darkness, and each one represents the unquenchable, and unconquerable desire for access to the basic human right of education.”
“It is our task – the world’s task – to ensure that these flames never go out”, she said.
“What we want is summed up in a single world. That word is stability. And what makes that word possible is education.”
With 360 million people worldwide in need of humanitarian assistance, up 30 percent since early 2022, global humanitarian needs have yet again reached record levels.
In a video message to the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, a platform created by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to find solutions to pressing humanitarian aid issues, Antonio Guterres cited some shocking figures: more than 110 million people have been forced from their homes, while more than 260 million face daily difficulties getting food.
Famine is a growing risk for many.
While the figures change, the reasons driving them up do not. The Secretary-General referred to the devastating impact of unresolved conflicts, that “grind on while new wars are launched” and the global economic turmoil triggered by COVID and aggravated by the worldwide impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Another hostile factor driving up fatalities and displacing millions is climate change, he said.
And as the most vulnerable are hit hardest, “sustainable development – the ultimate prevention tool – has stagnated or gone into reverse,” warned Mr. Guterres.
Crisis of funding
Many responsible for rising conflict are violating international law, attacking hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure. Rampant human rights violations are being committed, including against women and girls.
In response, humanitarian aid agencies and UN partners on the ground are finding new ways to provide emergency aid around the world, said the UN chief.
In Ukraine last year aid workers ramped up deliveries to support some 15.4 million people. Another 17 million people in Afghanistan, 2.8 million in Nigeria and 2.5 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have received humanitarian aid since the beginning of this year.
The Secretary-General assessed those operations as “huge” and regretted that financing for them cannot keep up with rising demand.
Halfway through 2023, the Global Humanitarian Appeal is only 20 per cent funded.
“This is causing a crisis within a crisis,” Mr. Guterres believes. Shortages of funds are causing rollbacks of food aid in Syria, Bangladesh, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Without a solution to the funding crisis, further cuts are inevitable, warned the UN chief.
Solutions focus
Antonio Guterres encouraged meeting participants to consider ways to increase humanitarian resources, to deliver aid more efficiently and effectively, to better protect individuals in crises, to reduce food insecurity and to increase resilience by investing in climate adaptation.
ECOSOC’s Humanitarian Affairs Segment brings together UN Member States, UN organizations, humanitarian and development partners, the private sector and affected communities.
They meet each June to discuss how to best tackle the most recent humanitarian concerns and crises.
Despite progress over the past decades, pollution and other environmental risks continue to harm people’s health in Europe. Published today, EEA Signals 2023 looks at the connection between environment and health and how taking care of nature and the climate can deliver long-term health benefits for all Europeans.
Current generations of Europeans live longer and healthier lives than their parents and grandparents. Some of this positive development is due to advances in environmental policy, such as achieving better air or water quality or curbing the use of the most harmful chemicals. Yet, more than one out of 10 premature deaths in the EU are related to pollution and the consequences of climate change are becoming more and more severe.
‘EEA Signals 2023 — Health and environment in Europe’ gives a broad overview of links between health and environment in Europe. The ‘EEA Signals’ is a collection of short articles, based on previously published EEA data, information, and expert interviews.
EEA Signals 2023 articles focus on air and water quality, noise, chemicals, and climate change. Jerker Ligthart of ChemSec, a Swedish NGO, discusses the issue of hazardous chemicals and building a safer chemical system. EEA’s Gerardo Sanchez talks about the development of the European environment and health atlas and what it offers for citizens.
Nature is the foundation of our health and well-being. It gives us clean air, water, food, materials and space for recreation. Spending time in nature is good for our mental health. And if we do not take care of the planet, its climate and ecosystems, we undermine how our societes function, worsen our lives and, perhaps most directly, harm our own well-being.
The EEA Signals report is an annual, easy-to-read web publication that looks at key issues related to the environment and climate. Recent EEA Signals reports have looked at energy (2022), nature (2021), zero pollution (2020), soil (2019) and water (2018).
The Georgian wines continue to improve positions at the Russian market. For the first 5 months of this year (January-May), the deliveries increased by 63% on an annual basis to 24.15 million liters, which made Georgia the leader among the producers of “silent” wines for Russia, getting ahead of Italy.
Again, according to the data for January-May 2023, Georgia is in the first place in the delivery of “silent” wines to Russia (ie, sparkling wines are not included in these statistics), reports “Komersant”.
During this period, 24.15 million liters of “silent” types of wine were imported from Greece, and from Italy – 23.36 million liters, the import of the two countries on an annual basis increased by 63% and 31%, respectively. %.
As a result of this, the share of Georgia in the deliveries of “silent” wines to Russia in physical volumes reached 19.1%, and Italy – 18.5%. In fact, these two countries account for a little over one third of all “silent” wines imported into Russia.
The number of “tixi” wines from Spain for the considered period increased by 25% on an annual basis to 20.46 million liters, from France – by 23% to 10.04 million liters, from Portugal – by 69%, to 9, 61 million liters on an annual basis.
Only for the first month of this year, the import of “silent” wines from Georgia increased by 49% to 13.1 million liters, i.e.
According to many of the major importers of wine from Russia, for the whole year 2023 Georgia will retain the lead as the largest importer of wine for Russia, but there is also those who doubt it.
One third of Russians consumpt wine at least once a month, says research of the Russian agrucultural bank and the NAFI analytical center with 1,600 respondents throughout Russia, reported by RIA Novosti.
“Wine is already the most popular alcoholic drink in Russia – every third Russian consumes it at least once a month. At the same time, red dry wine is the most popular type of this alcoholic drink in Russia wine – 7% of respondents drink it at least once a week”, said Russian experts as early as mid-2022.
Before the sale, the chefs buy wine mainly in the price range from 300 to 700 RUB (5-11 USD). Finally, wine for no more than 300 roubles fills 11% of inquiries, while wine in the price range from 700 to 1000 roubles (11-17 US dollars) appears in 14% of inquiries .
Preferences for wine priced from 1000 to 1500 RUB (17-25 US dollars) per bottle have 10% of the asked customers, and 5% drink wine with a price in the range from 1500 to 3500 RUB (25-60 USD). About 0.8% of the citizens can afford to drink wine with prices above 3500 RUB. The above mentioned clarifies that the respondents could start with more than one answer.
The results of the survey show that the preferences of wine consumers also depend on the income and gender of the consumers. So, for example, on the appearance of the package/the bottle and the fact that it is a different product, the general attention of the consumers is 18-24 years old (32% of the questions).
While for the preferences of the 45-55 year old population, when choosing a wine, the characteristics of the drink are of primary importance (67% of the respondents). And for wine lovers over 55 years old, the fact that the product is “Made in Russia” is much more important (28% of those asked).
Men and women in Russia also have differences in wine preferences and choices. Women more often pay attention to the brand and origin of the drink (35% of women and 22% of men). At the same time, the male audience of wine lovers, choose more based on the taste qualities of drink (62% of men and 52% of women).
Photo by Julia Volk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/wooden-shelves-with-dusty-glass-bottles-of-wine-5272997/
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland was reacting on Twitter to the news of a shooting attack reportedly by two Palestinian gunmen, who opened fire at a petrol station on a road outside an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.
News reports quoting the Israeli military said both of the gunmen had been shot dead, one at the scene by an armed civilian and the other by Israeli security forces.
The UN envoy urged “all sides to refrain from steps that could further enflame an already volatile situation.”
Jenin camp raid
Tuesday’s violence followed a day of bloodshed on Monday, when at least five Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces during an operation inside the Jenin refugee camp prompting Mr. Wennesland to voice his deep concern over the escalating violence.
He tweeted that the Israeli operation and ensuing exchange of fire with Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank city resulted in five dead including a child.
Scores of Palestinians and seven Israeli security personnel were reportedly wounded.
Return to ‘political path’
“Such escalations threaten to plunge Palestine and Israel deeper into a deadly crisis”, he said. “All sides must refrain from actions that would further escalate the situation and take steps to reengage on a political path.”
According to news reports, the confrontation involved Israeli forces entering the camp before dawn on Monday. An Israeli helicopter fired missiles in response to militants targeting troop carriers with explosives.
The helicopter reportedly opened fire as forces were attempting to extract soldiers and stranded vehicles.
Israel has been intensifying raids in the West Bank for months now carrying out searches, arrests and home demolitions, amid a reported rise in attacks from Palestinian militants targeting Israelis. More than 160 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the start of the year, with 21 Israeli deaths.
Guterres ‘deeply troubled’ over settlements plan
On Monday night, the UN Secretary-General António Guterresissued a statement saying he was “deeply troubled” by the Israeli Government’s decision to amend its settlement planning procedures in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Reiterating concerns expressed earlier in the day by Mr. Wennesland over the plans which are expected to expedite illegal Israeli settlement expansion – overhauling policies in place since 1996 – the UN chief said he was also “deeply alarmed” over the likely Government announcement next week of 4,000 new settlement housing units.
“The Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law”, said the statement issued by his Spokesperson.
“They are a major obstacle to the realization of a viable two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. The expansion of these illegal settlements is a significant driver of tensions and violence and deepens humanitarian needs.”
He said the move would further entrench the occupation, while encroaching on Palestinian land and natural resources.
It will also further hamper the free movement of the population and undermine Palestinians’ right to self-determination and sovereignty.
“The Secretary-General urges the Government of Israel to halt and reverse such decisions and to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to fully respect its legal obligations in that regard.”
He also called for “further concrete steps” to put in place de-escalation measures to stem the rising violence, agreed between Israeli and Palestinians in recent months in the form of Joint Communiqués in Aqaba, Jordan and Sharm al-Sheik.
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), since March 2022 alone, 5.7 million people have been displaced in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.
Record displacement
Overall, 6.2 million people have fled their homes across the country – the highest number in Africa.
“The country is continental in size with acres of space, but millions of people have no choice but to live in very overcrowded and squalid camps,” or with already overburdened host families, WFP spokesperson for southern Africa, Tomson Phiri, told journalists in Geneva.
Humanitarian access thwarted
Today, as a result of the lawlessness associated with some 120 non-state armed groups, the UN agency has struggled to deliver vital relief to vulnerable communities where negotiating access is “an ongoing challenge”.
“It takes WFP on a very good day, four days to deliver food assistance from Goma, which is the capital in the east, to a place called Beni, which is 241 kilometres away,” Mr. Phiri said. “But it is taking us between three to four months to do so today because of insecurity.”
Over 25 million going hungry
Mr. Phiri, who maintained that the humanitarian catastrophe was a “classic example” of a forgotten emergency, explained that displacement has driven food insecurity as people are driven off their land and left unable to grow food.
Latest projections indicate that 25.8 million people in the DRC will face acute food insecurity in 2023 – the highest number worldwide.
So many are going hungry despite the country’s natural wealth. Paradoxically, the DRC produces precious metals which supply the world’s most advanced technologies, the WFP spokesperson said.
Climate change factor
In addition to surging violence in the east, today’s climate crisis continues to claim lives and livelihoods. At least 400 people died in disastrous flooding in South Kivu last month and 3,000 homes were destroyed, driving further displacement.
Now more than ever, host communities also face the risk of hunger, Mr. Phiri warned, as WFP ramps up assistance to reach 3.6 million people over the next six months.
‘We need peace’
So far this year, however, only 15 per cent of the $870 million required for the humanitarian response in the country has been sourced, Mr. Phiri noted.
“We need investment in all facets of life in the DRC: infrastructure, basic services, but most importantly, we need peace,” he insisted.
An emergency distribution of food gets underway in the eastern DR Congo.
